


shadowlands

by shxrogane (minsazucar)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Canon Compliant, Gen, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Survival Horror, Suspense, idk just a little spooky mission gone wrong :---), it was for a keith zine so....duh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 15:31:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16287164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minsazucar/pseuds/shxrogane
Summary: He didn’t see anything, but that restless energy was back, heavier than before. It pounded in his head, heightening his senses. He could almost grasp the shadows flitting just out of reach.“Keith, hey, where’d you go?” Hunk’s worried voice buzzed through the comms, breaking his focus.“He probably took off, again- Hey! Shiro said to stay near the ship,” Lance boomed.“Yeah man, come back, we’re almost done,” Hunk chimed in, and Keith grit his teeth.His senses were still on high alert, gut twisting as he tried to focus on his surroundings. But it was nearly impossible with the other two chattering non-stop.“Guys, quiet!” He hollered back, huffing in exasperation. “There’s something…”Keith froze. Something just brushed his leg.





	shadowlands

Keith groaned as he hauled himself off the floor. He blinked as the world came back into focus, sights and sounds slowly trickling back in: the dark bridge, the flashing red emergency lights, the groaning metal and dying screech of alarms. He quickly remembered the incident that led team Voltron to their current state of disarray.

They’d just finished a long battle, narrowly securing another victory. As they wormholed away an enemy rigged explosive had detonated, destabilizing the portal and sending the ship careening into the atmosphere of an unknown planet. The explosion must’ve also badly damaged the ship somehow; they seemed to have lost their main power.

Keith’s eyes darted around the bridge, taking stock of everyone’s condition. The team was a bit worse for wear, but no one seemed seriously injured. Coran heaved himself up and managed to deactivate the warning messages covering the screens, unblocking their view of the alien planet they’d just crashed on. Keith stood up a little straighter.

The terrain was covered in a layer of murky water, the depth hard to estimate. The castle had crashed in what looked like a clearing, nothing but dense fog hanging around. Just a few meters out, giant fungi-like flora loomed over the water, their dark bruised forms standing stark against the gray-yellow glow of the sky and water. The fog was denser there, winding around the roots of the plants in thick ropes.

There was something about it that made his skin crawl. Looking around, he could see evident discomfort on his teammates’ faces as well. So, he wasn’t the only one feeling strange about their surroundings. But he couldn’t tell if they could feel that same ominous energy, that restless feeling that made it feel like… something was _watching_ them.

“Right, we should get to work,” Shiro spoke up, breaking the trance they’d all fallen into. “Coran, what’s the damage report?”

It turned out that the damage wasn’t as bad as they’d feared. It just so happened that the blast cracked through the metal hull, overheating the main circuit board and cutting off the ship’s power. Coran had taken Pidge down to the circuit room so they’d be ready to reset the systems once it cooled down. That just left the outer repairs for them to take care of. It was obvious who would have to go.

“No way, nope, I’m not going out here. Swamps on Earth are bad enough. _That_ swamp is definitely a ‘no’ for me.”

Hunk put up a valiant effort, but it was only a matter of time before he was trudging down the ramp towards the surface, flanked by Keith. Lance followed not far behind, echoing Hunk’s countless complaints about their current environment. Keith had his own reservations about this planet, but he kept those to himself, not wanting to add to their anxieties. The minute the trio stepped into the murky water, Keith’s heart skipped a beat. 

That ominous feeling from earlier was back in full force, causing him to suppress a full body shudder. He couldn’t tell if his teammates felt it too, but he could tell they were unnerved by _something_. Hunk was practically shaking out of his armor and Lance had visibly paled.

It didn’t take them long to locate the damaged engine and Hunk got right to work, more than eager to leave the swamp. Keith concluded soon enough that whatever had his friends spooked was wholly different from what he was feeling. Lance and Hunk took turns complaining about the “gross water,” “freaky bugs,” and “weird noises,” but Keith had to disagree. 

For a swamp it was strangely quiet. The waters were murky, but absent of anything moving beneath the surface. There were very few insects, and the area was decidedly peaceful... too peaceful. It was still in a way that had Keith focused on the slightest changes around them. Like now, when movement in his peripherals had him swinging around, body tense and on high alert. He blinked. There was nothing there.

Keith took a deep breath and released it slowly. _Patience yields focus_. He walked a short distance away from the engines, carefully scanning the area for threats. He didn’t _see_ anything, but that restless energy was back, heavier than before. It pounded in his head, heightening his senses. He could almost grasp the shadows flitting just out of reach.

“Keith, hey, where’d you go?” Hunk’s worried voice buzzed through the comms, breaking his focus.

“He probably took off, _again_ \- Hey! Shiro said to stay near the ship,” Lance boomed.

“Yeah man, come back, we’re almost done,” Hunk chimed in, and Keith grit his teeth.

His senses were still on high alert, gut twisting as he tried to focus on his surroundings. But it was nearly impossible with the other two chattering non-stop. 

“Guys, quiet!” He hollered back, huffing in exasperation. “There’s something…”

Keith froze. _Something_ just brushed his leg. He looked down.

“There’s something? Something what? Keith, you’re freaking me out man.”

Hunk’s voice had gone from worried to frantic, but Keith couldn’t be bothered to answer. He stood perfectly still, breath light, scanning the water with his bayard in hand.

“We should go back to the ship,” Lance called out firmly.

Another brush to Keith’s calf. Something wrapped around his thigh. He yelped in surprise. It disappeared just as quickly, but Keith couldn’t find the source. He couldn’t find anything.

“Keith?!” Hunk yelled again over the comms.

“Okay, back to the ship-” 

Lance’s voice cut off and Keith’s stomach sank. He whipped around at the sound of gunfire: Lance and Hunk’s bayards. He took a step forward, ready to sprint back, when that _thing_ wrapped around his ankle again, sending him face first into the cloudy water. He surfaced quickly, sputtering before closing the face of his helmet. He readied his bayard and began slashing at the water, trying to hit whatever it was grabbing at his ankle.

He must’ve managed to land a blow because suddenly his ankle was free, and he scrambled to get up and away. He didn’t make it far before more _things_ grabbed at his legs and dragged him completely underwater. The water was too dark and cloudy to see through, but Keith could feel that he was getting dragged _somewhere_. He frantically swung his sword, hoping to land another lucky hit against the creature.

The creature that he still couldn’t see.

He didn’t know if he managed to land another hit or if the alien was just tired of his flailing, but either way, it felt like one of the appendages released his leg. Then something struck him across the head, hard. Hard enough to crack his helmet’s visor and send his head reeling. His eyes widened in horror as he noticed water rushing in through the cracks. It wasn’t long until his helmet was flooded, robbing him of his only air supply. That’s when the panic set in.

Keith was good at holding his breath, but not for this long. His lungs burned for air, limbs growing weak as he continued to try and break free of the phantom dragging him down. Black spots danced across his vision and he struggled to stay conscious. His limbs trembled, his chest cramped; he swallowed another mouthful of water as his eyes rolled back into darkness.

Suddenly, he was dragged to the surface and slammed against something solid. He scrambled to his knees and ripped his helmet off, releasing the trapped water. He gagged, coughing up water and bile as he tried to choke in lungfuls of air. Keith sat back on his heels as his body stabilized, blinking the world back into focus. 

Where was he _now?_

__

__

It was obvious he was still in the swamp, but there was something different about it. For one, he was surrounded by tall, stone walls. They looked ancient, remnants of a civilization long gone. His eyes roamed over the rough texture of them, over cracks and water stains and vines of fungi that crawled up from the water. The stone walls caged him in save for three openings, which led into other stone-lined corridors. 

He looked up at the pale yellow sky—had it always been that pale?—and found that he could still see the tops of the tall fungus trees in the distance; so, the walls weren’t _that_ high. He looked down.

Keith hadn’t noticed before, but he was kneeling on a stone similar to those around him. Although faded with age, there seemed to be carvings on the dilapidated structure. He traced the etchings, frowning at the spaces completely worn away. The lines that _were_ visible were familiar somehow, as if he’d seen patterns like this before. Then it clicked and he stood up with a start.

A maze. He was in a maze.

For some unknown reason, he’d been dragged away by some mysterious force and dumped in the middle of an ancient, ruinous maze. He eyed the three doorways and looked back down at the diagram. Due to the missing chunks, it was impossible to tell which was the correct path to take. He cursed under his breath and stepped off the stone, wading through the knee deep water towards the doorways. 

Keith could usually rely on his instincts to get him places, but ever since crashing on this planet, something had felt off. He wasn’t sure he could trust his senses, but his options were limited. His helmet was busted, the comm system only patching through loud static before dying completely. He had no way to contact his team.

Not just that, but Hunk and Lance had been fighting _something_ before he’d been pulled under. He had no idea where they were, or if they were injured, if they were even _alive-_

__

__

He shook off the thought. He needed to find a way out of here _and_ find his teammates. He looked between the three doorways and approached the first. The closer he got, the stronger he could feel a strum of energy emanating from the walls. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it gave him the sense that he shouldn’t touch them _at all_. He breathed deep and closed his eyes. There was a stronger pull coming from one of the openings, and he let himself follow it down the corridor.

The water was up to his thighs now. A layer of fog hung above the water’s surface, further obscuring his view. He trekked slowly down the hall, watching the ripples of water he caused, listening to the low splash as they crashed against the maze walls. The further he went, the more apparent it became that he was the only living thing around.

So then, why couldn’t he shake the feeling of being watched?

He could feel eyes on him, floating around his body like the mist swirling as he stepped through it. He couldn’t pinpoint the source of it. Omnipresent. Goosebumps raised under his armor as the gaze scanned him, over and over.

Keith had spent a lot of his life outdoors. He’d always found a type of peace in nature. There was something about the sense of solitude without loneliness that calmed him. Even if he was out in the wilderness, no matter the environment, there was always some other life scampering around; small animals, birds, insects, _something_ to fill the quiet. But here? Here there was nothing. And that was perhaps the most unnerving part.

If the eyes watching him didn’t belong to something living, then what _did_ they belong to?

He reached the end of the hall and turned down the next corridor. He paused at the mouth of it, eyes narrowed at the empty stretch in front of him. Something felt different. _Off_. He continued slowly, mindful of keeping away from the walls. A shadow flickered in front of him. He froze. There was nothing there.

Keith took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. They were playing tricks on him now. He blinked them open and continued forward, deeper through the swirling mist. Another shadow. He kept moving. The farther he went, the more shadows flit around, dancing in his line of sight. But no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn’t see anything beyond them; they were just shadows.

Lance and Hunk’s complaints about the “spooky, haunted swamp” weren’t so ridiculous now. Keith didn’t consider himself a skeptic of the paranormal, but neither did he consider himself a believer. He just knew what he knew, and when new knowledge presented itself, he adjusted his perceptions to allow the change.

As part of Voltron, the bounds of what he believed were stretched on the regular. With every new alien world and experience, he was made to redefine what was “natural.” But _this_ … this was different. This wasn’t just another step into the “supernatural,” not just a broadening of Keith’s scope of possibility. This was a straight nosedive into the _unnatural._

__

__

That was the only way he could describe this place, and with that thought, everything seemed to make more sense. This place, although physically similar to the swamp, was void of all life. Whatever energy lingered in these halls was… _wrong_. The shadows that taunted him were cold and intangible. It all felt so hollow.

Keith stopped when the breath of a whisper brushed his ear. He stood still and listened to a medley of indecipherable sounds. At first, he thought, _hoped_ , that it was static from his busted comms, that maybe somehow they’d come back online. But it didn’t sound like static, not really. He tore off his helmet and the whispering ceased.. He started forward again, helmet in hand, trying to calm his racing heart. He didn’t even manage a few steps before the whispering returned, unfamiliar sounds floating around with the shadows.

Keith breathed through his nose and pushed forward, but the noise only grew louder and louder. Louder until it was the only thing he could hear, until his ears were ringing with it. Those strange, discordant voices in a language he couldn’t begin to comprehend. The shadows swam in his vision, increasing in their intensity. He didn’t remember running, didn’t remember the moment panic took over. All he remembered was the sudden wash of ice down his back, as the voices screamed and the apparitions felt alive with it.

He turned a corner and ran straight into something solid. Something that reached out to grab him. He looked up.

“Keith! Dude, what happened?!” 

Hunk’s worried face came into view and Keith let out a stuttered breath. His body, taut with adrenaline, fell limp and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. That dark presence from before lifted and everything that had been rushing him simply… disappeared.

“Hunk, you’re okay?” He couldn’t help the pure relief that colored his voice.

“Am I okay? Dude, I’m fine! But have you looked at yourself? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.” Hunk looked him over with deep concern, hands firm over his shoulders.

Keith choked on a humorless laugh. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Hunk let go of his shoulders and started walking, leading the way while Keith caught his breath. He hadn’t even noticed how shallow his breathing had become. Hunk rattled on about how weird this place was. Keith listened with a straight face as his friend theorized why all their equipment, from their comms to their jetpacks, were completely dead. Hunk also came to the conclusion that Lance had to be somewhere in the maze. All they had to do was find him.

Keith didn’t bring up what had happened to him just yet; Hunk was easily frightened, so the longer he kept his wits about him, the better. There was no need to talk about shadows and voices if the other paladin hadn’t experienced it.

That plan backfired real quick. 

As they rounded a corner into a new hallway, Keith regretted not relaying his fears. He felt a spike of dread run through him as he stared into the dense fog. There was something there, he could _feel_ it, even if Hunk couldn’t. Hunk just continued walking forward and Keith had no choice but to follow, trying desperately to smother the paranoia clouding his senses. He focused on breathing, an even inhale and exhale, keeping pace with Hunk. And it worked. Until it didn’t.

Up ahead, Keith swore he could see something hiding in the fog, a long, dark silhouette. He grabbed at Hunk’s arm to stop him, eyes still locked on the shadow. Hunk stopped, giving him a curious glance, before looking back up and freezing. He saw the shadow too.

Alright, so Keith _wasn’t_ crazy. Good to know.

They waited with baited breath as the fog drifted closer, bringing the shadow with it. Then the shadow split in two, then three. The fog was dancing with them again, just like before. Hunk’s eyes were blown wide and Keith could feel him shaking. Seeing the other in distress kicked him into action, and he gripped Hunk tighter to lead him forward, right through the thick of it. Keith just wished he wasn’t shaking too.

The fog surged forward and they moved to meet it.

Next came the whispers, sparse at first before building into a roar. Hunk was hyperventilating, wide eyes darting around as he tried to make sense of their surroundings. Keith didn’t bother since he knew in his gut that it simply _couldn’t_ make sense. He grit his teeth and pulled them forward.

They reached the end of the hallway and turned into a new one. Just like that, the activity ceased. No shadows, no whispers; just Hunk and Keith and their labored breathing. Hunk turned to him and sputtered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“Keith, I don’t care what you say, this swamp is _haunted.”_

__

__

“I’m… with you there.”

The fact that Keith agreed so quickly spoke volumes.

“What do we do?”

“What _can_ we do?” Keith straightened up, tightening his hold on Hunk. “We keep moving. We find a way out, we find Lance. We stay alive and _keep moving.”_

__

__

Hunk stared at him, fear glistening in his eyes, and nodded. Keith let out a shaky breath and took a step forward. They waded through the water, tensed and waiting for the next encounter. Silence brought only dread, only leant itself to fearful anticipation.

They made it around and into the next corridor. There was no warning this time, no buildup to prepare them. As they stepped forward, a wave of cold air washed over them, bringing with it the symphony of whispers and cries. Hunk froze in his tracks and Keith struggled to pull him forward. They had to _move_. If he’d guessed correctly, the hauntings came in waves. A pattern. It would stop if they just made it out of the hall. They just needed to make it a few more meters. Just a few more…

The faintest brush of _something_ caressed Keith’s face. His eyes widened in horror. Dozens of invisible hands pushed and pulled at them, growing violent as they forced their way through. A firm yank of his hair sent him careening towards the maze wall; Hunk’s firm grasp was all that saved him from the collision, and it was Hunk’s fear-driven brute strength that plowed them through the muddy water and into the next corridor.

It was like every line of tension holding them up finally snapped and they sank to the ground in temporary relief. He was exhausted and he hadn’t even _done_ anything. Keith allowed them to stay put for a moment to compose themselves. He knew once they walked down this path and into the next, they’d have to relive that horror, over and over. He shivered at the thought.

“I think…” 

Hunk’s shaky voice brought him back to the present. He watched with interest as the yellow paladin stood up, looking around with a thoughtful frown. Keith followed as Hunk slowly made his way down the hall.

“I think there’s residual energy trapped in this maze.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Hunk huffed, “this place, it’s different from the swamp we were in before. Everything here feels kinda, I don’t know, lifeless?”

Keith nodded. “Like everything is hollow.”

“Yeah. But, these walls… the shadows and voices… I think, what if, when we got dragged underwater, we passed into a pocket reality?”

Keith frowned. “Like the one Ulaz was hiding in?”

“Yeah, kind of like that. Like, what if this is just a pocket of space meant to keep something hidden?”

Keith looked at him skeptically but followed along.

“Okay, let’s say that’s true, and this is some pocket reality built by an ancient civilization. How is it still functional?”

“That’s what I was getting at,” Hunk moved his hands excitedly, like he did when figuring out a new invention; it made Keith _really_ pay attention. 

“Energy. Trapped energy. The swamp itself… the flora consisted of giant fungal structures, which generally run on low energy. They don’t need a lot to live. But what about local fauna? There was nothing substantial living in the water, nothing flying around… the biggest thing I saw was a floating insect type thing.”

It made sense. Suddenly, it was all making sense. Keith huffed.

“So, you think this place feeds off the energy in the swamp?”

“Yeah, I do. And I think that’s why _we’re_ here too. It felt our energy and when we got close enough to the pocket, it dragged us in. I think that’s what happened to the previous civilization too. Maybe science, or magic, or supernatural magic alien science gone wrong?”

Keith chuckled morbidly. “I mean, what are ghosts except old energy after all.”

Hunk absorbed that comment in silence. They carried the weight of that revelation with them as they trudged onward. The end of the corridor was fast approaching. Keith felt himself tense up, bracing himself for what may lie ahead. They took a deep breath and turned the corner.

Hunk screamed.

“Holy shit!” Lance yelped, falling back in shock.

Keith took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. He didn’t want to seem so panicked.

“Lance! Oh my God, buddy, I’m so happy you’re alive,” Hunk cried, scooping Lance into a crushing embrace.

“Yeah, same here big guy.”

If Keith wasn’t mistaken, it looked like Lance was barely holding back tears. They were all a bit more shaken than they cared to admit. A thread of tension crawled up Keith’s spine. They couldn’t stay here.

“Let’s keep moving.”

Keith had half expected Lance to argue, or at least gripe, but he just nodded and clung to Hunk. He must’ve been terrified on his own for so long. Keith sighed; he was glad they found him. 

Hunk busied himself with briefing Lance on their theories as Keith led the group forward. There had been no activity in this hall. Keith _knew_ that meant the next hall would be the worst yet. He braced himself.

When they turned the corner, Keith felt the air get punched out his lungs. The fog was dense, swirling with restless energy, completely obscuring their view. Lance whimpered. They had to move. Despite the broken screen, Keith slipped his helmet on and the others followed suit. Keith stepped into the thick fog. It was like he stepped into a nightmare. Countless shadows loomed around them, grotesque figures that were sure to haunt them in their sleep. If they ever made it out of here.

“Guys? Guys stick close.” Hunk’s voice shook.

“Keith, we can’t see. Don’t leave us.”

“I’m not.” 

Keith slowed down, making sure Lance and Hunk could see him. He wouldn’t leave his team behind again. 

It was more physical in this hall, the shadows flying by leaving blood and bruises in their wake. The worst part was they couldn’t see the end of the hall. Just an endless wall of white mist. It was maddening. Keith got shoved and pulled every which way, slowing their progress even further. Everything was fine, everything was _fine_ , until the tugging changed directions. Until the phantoms that circled and nudged and whispered right in their ears made it their _mission_ to stop them.

The energy tugged at his arms, shoved at his back, harder and harder, trying to force him down. It kicked at the back of his knees. That’s what finally got him to stumble, what finally tripped him into the water. That was all the leverage needed to force his head under, to feel all the energy that was swirling around concentrate on the nape of his neck, holding him down as his broken helmet was yet again useless in keeping the water out.

“Keith!”

It was Lance shouting, or maybe Hunk, maybe both. It was hard to hear through the slosh of muddy water, through his own violent splashing as he desperately tried to find his footing, tried to push against the restless dead shoving him down. Keith activated his bayard—when had it deactivated?—and started swinging, praying that if ghosts could touch them, they could be hurt in return.

He managed to surface long enough to yank off his helmet again; all it was good for was trapping water, it seemed. Keith looked around frantically, locking eyes with Lance before a forceful grip on his hair dragged him back under. His team yelled again, a muffled, garbled mess. He thought he could hear the soft zing of laser fire. They’d started using their bayards, then.

Wait. Wait, no guns. The walls. What if they hit-

Maybe it was Hunk’s spray of fire, or one of Lances rapid strikes, hell, maybe even Keith’s wild swinging. _Something_ hit the walls. They all knew the moment it did, because the air tensed and vibrated, a shaking of ghosts and souls, their hearts rattling in their own chests. And then the screaming began. A high pitched screech that drowned out everything, from Keith’s wet coughs, down to their own panicked thoughts. 

And then nothing.

The fog lifted, the shadows faded, the screaming voices stopped. In an instant, they were left alone in the hall, in varying states of disarray. The trio held their breath. 

Absolute silence never felt so loud.

Hunk moved first, an awkward step forward to help drag Keith back to his feet. Lance moved closer, backing up towards them, gun pointed towards the end of the hall. But he was looking the wrong way. Keith felt it in the shot of ice up his spine, settling at the base of his skull. Predator. He couldn’t move. In front of him, Hunk felt it next, going rigid with the feeling, then Lance, wide eyes looking back at his friends.

The feeling was indescribable, an oppressive, all encompassing veil of fear. Unadulterated terror. It was behind them. It was coming. They couldn’t move. They had to _move_. Keith managed to choke out a single word.

_“Run.”_

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for the Wild Fyre Keith zine a while back! Creators finally got the green light to publicly post our pieces and the semi-horror theme goes well with the season lol
> 
> dont u just love cliff hangers? ;---)
> 
> hmu on [tumblr](https://fratboyshiro.tumblr.com) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/gayhura)!


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